A Dylan Ratigan Show panel talks about the latest step toward an explosion in the field of artificial intelligence.
MSNBC TRANSCRIPT:
>>> watching somebody think as a way to drive a car, you were. that’s brain driver. a new system developed by german scientists that allows you to control an automotive vehicle, a mechanical device, with your thoughts. just the latest step towards the explosion of artificial intelligence and ultimately the merging of man and machine into a single collective concept of problem solving emotional relationship and potentially perpetual existences lived out inside of bor gcgs of some kind. that’s the idea behind the film tran send dent man. he says we’re approaching a point called the singularity where computer intelligence will surpass our own. and then increase exponentially from will this.
>> the pace of change will somebody astonishingly quick that you won’t be able to follow it unless you enhappens your own intelligence by merging with the technology you’ve created.
>> the good news, we will be melding with the computer’s to integrate ourselves in to those systems. so instead of being a threat to you, you will be part of the intelligence and will be able to relate and make decisions with the benefit of the finest most integrated set of information that has ever existed on this earth. sort of a if you can’t beat them, join them concept for us. and joining us now is the director of the film available today on itunes and it’s a pleasure to welcome both of you. congratulations on the film. ray, in a nutshell, tell me why i shouldn’t be scared out of my mind.
>> the merger you’re talking about is already under way. when i was a student, i have to go across campus to get to the computer. we now carry them in our pockets. and we use them to expand our human potential. we have being a stoves much of human knowledge with a few key strokes. it’s not just the wealthy who have them. half the farmers in china have these mobile devices. 30% of africans have some kind of mobile device to communicate with and access information. and they’re growing exponential exponentially. that’s the key message. and the software is also progressing. look at how watson could play jeopardy and deal with subtle issues of language. so we’re making progress both hardware and software. we’ll reach human levels bhi 2029 rngs but as was just pointed out, it’s not an i wialien invasion from mars. we’re using them to expand our own reach.
>> why did you make will movie?
>> i wanted to reveal ray’s ideas. i think hers tthey’re the most proceed found that we’ve had to grapple with and let people know everywhere about what’s going to transform their lives.grapple with and l et people know everywhere about what’s going to transform their lives.
>> what strikes you as the more profound aspects?
>> you talked about ai. there is nothing more profound than ai. intelligence is the most powerful agent in the universe. so if we can increase our intelligence, that’s a powerful thing to be hold. but you talked about the iphones. just imagine diagnosing your medical ailments with an iphone for example. what will that mean to our —
>> health insurance companies will not like that.
>> well, these are disruptive times and a lot of billion dollar corporations will come into existence quickly and go out of existence quickly going forward.
>> ray, how do you envision the merger? i say in the introduction that man and robot will combine. you’re saying that the total exponential expansion, where basically the collective intelligence is grart than the aggregate is coming. how do you envision that integration in a way that is rewarding for human life?
>> well, we do it right now in that we carry computers with us. there are some people who have computers in their bodies and brains for conditions like parkinson’s or an experimental diabetes implant. we’re shrinking technology. it will be blood cell sized in 25 years. we’ll introduce this technology into our bodies and brains hugh the bloodstream, it will keep us healthy from the inside. go inside our brain, butt our brains on the web, take advantage of vast amounts of cloud computing, bring direct communication to search engines and to all of knowledge and we’ll be able to expand our in-it tell against very iin- int inti tell against very intimately.
>> so much disruption implied by what you’re discussing, whether the insurance health company,against ver y intimately.
>> so much disruption implied by what you’re discussing, whether the insurance health company, banks, uprisings in the middle east. all of these things massive disruptions. that doesn’t come without a fight as we are seeing in the deficits, as we’re seeing in the political sphere. how do you envision managing the potential disruption along the way to innocent victims as those who are most threatened try to protect themselves?
>> look at recent history as a good guide. i’m not a utopian. but fundamentally it’s democrati democratizing. you can have a kid at harvard with his $1,000 laptop create space book. you can have a couple of kids at stanford create google. a kid in their dorm room can create a whole orchestra with their pc and a keyboard. look at three revolutions just in the last few weeks. i wrote in the ’80s that the union would be overturned by the then emerging social network and that’s exactly happened. so i think it’s fundamentally democratizing in terms of expanding human potential.
>> how do you envision — i agree with what ray is saying, but i’m wearing witness and we all are to the desperate acts of self preservation.
>> i believe in a phenomenon known as the wisdom of crohl’s. so as more and more of us connect, the totality on our humanity i think will prevail. and i would point out that a child today or young person in africa who has access to the internet or a smart phone has access to more total knowledge than our u.s. president did just 15 years ago. that’s a powerful thing to consider. p.
>> congratulations on the movie. ray, thank you for giving us some of your time and articulating your thoughts with us here.
>> my pleasure.
>> this man 19 honorary doctorates, awards from three u.s. presidents, member of the national invent tors hall of fame, advocate of the singularity and subject